Soil-shedding- agbiculttjeal implement



Feb. 13,1923.

W. H. LEDBETTER SOIL SHEDDING AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT Filed Oct. 2'2

W W a $5 Patented Feb. 13, 1923.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM H. LEDB'ETTER, 01? DALLAS, TEXAS.

SOIL-SHEDDING AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT.

Application filed October 27, 1920. Serial No; 419,921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. LEDBET- run, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dallas, in the county ofDallas and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Soil-Shedding Agricultural Implement, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to agricultural implements such as plows and tractors, and more particularly to soil shedding means and appliances used in connection with plows. y

A. primary object of this invention is to provide ways and means for causing adhesive soils to shed from motor drawn plows during tilling operations, and to use heat for this purpose. Y

Afurther object is to produce a motor or tractor drawn plow capable of shedding the moist I and damp dirt or adhesive soil, through which the plow passes, to reduce the draft on the plow and consequently diminish the load on the tractor, and to further improve plowing operations by plowing deeper and by turning the soil in a more perfect and even manner to gain a more uniform and evenly distributed tilled and inulched condition of the earth,

lVhile I am aware that it is not fundamentally new to heat a plow to prevent certain classes of soil from adhering thereto, I do claim it new to heat the plow in the manner which I describe; andI furthermore claim as new and useful the particular combination as herein disclosed.

Heretofore it has not been practical to heat plows tovmake them shed the soil because of the lack of a suitable form of fuel or heating medium. Though one earlier inventor provided a fire box on the back of the plow and another provided a steam boiler to heat the plow by steam, the proposals fell short of filling the need because of the inconvenience and impracticability of keeping up a wood or coal fire in the fire box in the first case, and because of the obvious oumbersomeness of a steam boiler on a plow in thesecond. place together with the expense of the undertaking.

But I am enabledto pointthe way to-success in. the project because of the present availability of unused heat-arising from the extensive use. of motor tractors for farming I purposes. I practice my invention by utilizlng the hot exhaust gases emitted from the steam engined or gas engined tractor,

and apply this heretofore wasted heat to a plow to accomplish the above stated purposes. The internal combustion motor tractor is now quite extensively used in farming, and'is becoming more popular on the farms from day to day, and this fact renders highly practical the practice of my invention.

In view of the fact that the internal combustion motor tractor, or what is known as the gas engine tractor, is more universally used at this time than any other, the present. invention discloses the application of the exhaust heat from this type of engine as being utilized to heat the plow to prevent adhesive soils from sticking thereto, yet the practice of this invention may likewise be extended to steam tractors.

Reference is now made to the drawings wherein; r

Figure 1 shows aside elevation of a conventional type of tractor pulling a plow with the features of the invention embodied therein.

Figure 2 shows a rear view of a conventional type of plow and a heating jacket box, or exhaust heat receptacle applied thereto. The Figure 3 shows a sectional viewtaken through the plow and exhaust receptacle. Figure 4': discloses a plan view of the plow shown in Figure 3.

Any existing type ofplow may be converted to the use and practice of this invention by securing a heating box, jacket or exhaust receptacle to the plow and employing a tube connection between the heating box and exhaust manifold of the tractor engine to convey the hot exhaust gases to the plow. for raising the temperature of the plow above the temperature of the cool moist earth through which the plow is drawn.

Referring more in particular to the drawings, a farm tractor is shown with an engine 14 carried thereon for propelling the tractor. The'engine usually employed on tractors is of the multi-cylinder type and. in such case an exhaust manifold 15 collects the exhaust gases from the several cylinders and conveys it to a common discharge tube 16. A pipe line 17 is connected with. the discharge tube 16 and terminates at a point near the rear end of the tractor. The tube 17 provided with a valve 26 for diverting the exhaust gases to atmosphere when it is not desired to transmit it to a plow as later described.

An implement is shown connected with the tractor, which comprises a frame 20 carrying ordinary plows 21. A heating jacket or exhaust receptacle 22 is fixed to the back of the plow moldboard 21 to form a closed chamber or heat retaining receptacle. The casing of the heating box or exhaust receptacle 22 forms one wall of the heat retaining receptacle while the moldboard forms the other wall of the receptacle. An intake hole 24 is made in the heating jacket member 22, and the jacket is constructed in one or more parts and applied to the back of a moldboard in any manner obviously suitable and practical to meet the various shapes, sizes, and designs of plows in general use. p

The frame 20 carries an exhaust pipe 25 which is fitted with valves 27, and sections of flexible tubing 28 have one end thereof connected to the valve 27 while the other end is connected to the exhaust receptacle or heating box 22. A section of flexible tubing 36 connects the exhaust pipe 17 of the tractor with the pipe 25. The flexible tubingBG is inserted in the exhaust line to allow relative movement between the plow and the tractor.

The implement is pulled by means of any suitable flexible coupling such as a chain 18, and the engine 1 1 emits a continual flow of hot exhaust gases through the tube 17 and thence to the tube 25 where it is distributed to the plows 21 for raising the temperature thereof relatively higher than that. of the moist earth or soil through which the plows pass. By keeping the plows hot with the exhaust heat, the soil will. not gain any considerable hold on the working face of the plow but will either continuously or intermittently break and slide off the plow leaving a clean smooth working surface. This action is gained by drying out the adhering surface of the soil so that it has no tendency to stick to the face of the plow.

It is usually practical to provide one or more discharge openings at some point either in the heating box 22 or the plow 21 so the exhaust gases may readily discharge from the device to prevent back pressure on the engine and also facilitate the movement of newly heated exhaust gases to insure maintenance of high temperature in the plow. The holes are made in the wall of the heating box adjacent the back of the plow, or may be made in the face of the plow, and by properly locating the discharge openings it is possible to distribute the heat over a large area of the plow.

Though I have shown one preferred embodiment of the invention, Ido not limit myself thereto, but claim a right of protection as to obvious changes in construction an engine, of a tilling implement connected with the tractor thru the agency of a flexible link and carrying plows, a pipe carried by the implement and connected with the plows, and flexible tube connection established between the engine on the tractor andthe pipe on the implement whereby the implement may move relatively to the tractor and receive heat from the engine to heat the plows.

3. In combination with a tractor having an engine, of a tilling implement provided with plows and connected thru a flexible link to the tractor whereby the tractor and implement are capable of relative movement, and a flexible pipe connection established between the tractor engine and the plows to transmit heat from the engine to the plows during relative movement of the tractor and implement.

4. In combination with a tractor having an engine, of an implement carrying aplurality of plows connected with the tractor, a pipe carried on the implement and connecting with the engine, and flexible tube connections established between the pipe and plows whereby each plow receives heat from the engine, and a valve arranged in connecti on with each flexible tube in order that the flow of heat to the individual plow may be regulated. I

5. In combination with a tractor having an internal combustion motor with exhaust pipe connection, a implement having plows with. pipe connections, a flexible draft link connecting the tractor and implement, and a flexible tubular connection established be- .tween the aforesaid exhaust pipe and plow pipe, whereby the implement and tractor may travel with relative motion, and where by the exhaust heat from the engine is transmitted to the plows.

(3. In combination "with a tractor having, an internal. combustion motor with exhaust pipe connection, an. implement, plows carried by the implement, a pipe carriedby the implement, a. flexible tube connection established between each plow. and the pipe, a flexible tubular connection established between the exhaust pipe connection and the pipe on the plow, a valve included in the pipe connection. for either discharging the motor heat to atmosphere, or directing it to the plows, and a flexible draft connection joining the implement with the tractor.

7. Improvements in agricultural implements, comprising a tractor having an internal combustion heat motor, an implement carried by the tractor, plows carriedby the implement, a pipe connection established between the motor and plows, and valves arranged to regulate the heat to one or more plows.

8. Improvements in agricultural implements comprising a power driven machine, an internal combustion heat engine adapted to drive the machine and discharge exhaust waste heat, an earth tilling tool, and a conduit connected with the heat engine to eonvey the exhaust waste heat to the tool to prevent soil adhering thereto.

In testimony whereof I hereunto allix my signature at Dallas, county of Dallas, State of Texas, this 8th day of October, 1920.

WILLIAM H, LEDBETTER. 

